


Heat

by dragonshost



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24591388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonshost/pseuds/dragonshost
Summary: Totomaru was probably the only member of the Element Four that didn't irritate Gajeel.
Relationships: Gajeel Redfox/Totomaru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Heat

It was odd, really. At first, Gajeel couldn't stand the sight of the Element Four members he was expected to work with. Aria was unapproachable with all of his sobbing at the drop of a hat. Sol was an uptight prick on the best of days. Juvia's constant rain made it difficult to be in her general vicinity without the fear of rusting.

As for Totomaru... well...

It was hard to have anything to say about the fire user. He generally kept to himself. He wasn't annoying or constantly in his business like the other three tended to be. (Don't get him wrong - he was actually rather fond of Juvia. She at least meant well. But she could get on his nerves. A lot. Especially when she had just been dumped by a guy.) Between them, Totomaru and Gajeel had an unspoken yet understood pact to not interfere in each others' business. Which was almost... endearing, as far as Gajeel was concerned.

Totomaru's flames were also rather nice to look at. Gajeel had an artist's soul, after all, even if he rarely expressed it withing Phantom Lord's halls. As a musician in particular, he could appreciate the way Totomaru handled his fire - like a conductor with a rather deadly orchestra (especially the yellow flame - that one could actually floor Gajeel for days).

(It was very much unlike the uncouth and irritating way another person he knew wielded flames, he was to eventually discover.)

There was one other thing as well.

Gajeel wasn't sure if it was a characteristic of fire mages in general, or just Totomaru, but the man tended to exude... a warmth beyond the normal for humans. Not just in the flames that resided under his skin, but also in the way he dealt with the other members of the guild. Especially if it was a younger member, like Juvia. Kindness wasn't something Gajeel was particularly used to, he would have to admit. Neither Belno nor Metalicana had been much other than abrasive. But he'd known enough of kindness from the both of them to recognize it when he saw it in someone else.

And Totomaru... he definitely had it, alright. It was strange, but Gajeel always thought that the man might make a good teacher someday. The one time he'd voiced that opinion, however, Totomaru had looked at him funny, and it had made Gajeel heat up unpleasantly. So he had huffed, stomped away, and the topic was never brought up again.

Metalicana had warned him once that heat could temper a blade. At which point Gajeel had resolved to use only blunt force instruments to do his dirty work, just to piss off the crusty old lizard.

But now Gajeel had to concede that maybe there had been some truth to that statement.

Maybe.


End file.
